Spade



(No Model.)

H. C. PITTENGER.

SPADE.

No. 357,408. Patented Feb.- 8-, 1887.

N. PETERS anbwpmn m m, Washington; 9. c.

' are rA'rEs HARRY G. PITTENGER, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, IOWA.

SPADE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357.408, dated February 8, 1887.

Application filed October 16,1886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY O. PITTENGER,

a resident of Mount Pleasant, Henry county,

State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spades, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a spade or shovel with a handle adjustable at different angles to the blade of the spade for purposes which will more fully appear hereinafter.

In the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of my improved spade Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my improved spade. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved spade with the handle raised.

The handle is attached to the blade by a hinge-joint, the preferred form of which attachment is shown in the drawings. The are A is rigidly secured to the upper surface of the spade-blade B. The end of the handle H is bifurcated, presenting two arms, h, which surround the are A, and are pivoted thereto at O. The handle is also provided with the shoulder h, which bears against the top of the blade when the handle is in the position shown in Fig. 2. From 0 as a center the handle H may be rotated to occupy various positions with regard to the blade B. Various means may be employed to secure the handle in these various positions. In practice I find that two positions of the handle are all that is necessary, and the preferred means for holding the handle in either of these positions is that illustrated in the drawings. The pin 1? is attached to the rod R, which latter extends through or along the entire length of the handle and terminates in the open space at the end of the handle in a ring or other suitable handle, R. Holes a are bored into the face of the arc A,to receive the pin P.

In order that in the operation of locking the spade-blade to the handle at the desired angle the operator shall be relieved of constantly pressing on the locking-pin, a device is to be provided for elastically pressing the pin to- Serial No. 216,425. (No model.)

ward the spade. A preferred form of such device is as follows, viz: The locking-pin P fits in a socket in or attached to the lower portion of the handle, and bears against the end of the spring S, which surrounds the rod R, and finds its bearing in the bottom of the socket. The pin P is pushed outwardly by the spring S, and when in either socket (1 serves to hold the handle H firmly in the corresponding position.

When it is desiredto change the position of the handle, the pin 1? is retracted by means of rod R and the handle moved until the pin P meets another hole a.

When the spade is pushed into the ground, the handle is put in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2-that is to say, in the position occupied by the handle of an ordinary spade. When the handle is depressed to raise the earth cut by the spade, it frequently happens that the handle must be pushed clear to the ground before the earth out is set free. In such cases the handle is put in the position shown in Fig. 3, which gives great advantage of position and facility in removing theearth. YVith the handle in position shown in Fig. 3, the iinplen ientis very useful in removing earth from post-holes and in making similar excava tions.

A spade of this construction is especially useful to nurserymen for diggingtrees,'shrubs, and the like. It is also of great use for digging in confined situations where there is little space in which the handle of the spade can move.

\Vhat I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a spade, the combination of theblade B,

having attached to its upper surface the arc A, the latter provided with the notches a, the hollow handle H, pivoted to the anterior part of the are A and having shoulders h, pin P,

spring S, rod R, and handle R, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

HARRY O. PITTENGER.

W'itnesses: Q v

F. A. OONNER, 0. V. ARNOLD. 

